The
goal is promote health and recreation, foster an interest in local historic
sites and help build a spirit of cooperation among different towns and
governmental entities.

The
partnership includes such entities as Jefferson County and the cities of Birmingham,
Center Point, Tarrant, Fultondale, Gardendale, Brookside and Graysville.

To help
restore Five Mile Creek and raise awareness about the development of the
greenway, the partnership -- with the help of the Alabama Power Service
Organization (APSO) -- hosts annual volunteer events.

This
year's Five Mile Creek Greenway volunteer event, a clean-up, will be held at
the Five Mile Creek Greenway park & canoe launch in Graysville on Saturday,
July 27.

The
park is located on Highway 78, just north of the I-22 (Corridor X) interchange.

Volunteers
will pick up trash around the park and creek.

This is
the 10th annual volunteer event along the Five Mile Creek Greenway. Past events
have taken place in Brookside, Fultondale, Center Point, Tarrant, Fultondale
and Birmingham.

Michael
Sznajderman, APSO Magic City Chapter, said Wednesday that an event was held at
the same site in 2009 when a group of about 70 volunteers built the canoe
put-in, a Boy Scout camping area and a parking area.

"This
project is sort of on a small scale," he said. "We are going back to do a
little spiffing up at the site. This may be more in the 25-30 people range."

That
doesn't mean there's not plenty of work that can be done, however.

"Everyone
is invited," he said. "The more the merrier. The more bodies who come, the
farther we can get up and down the creek picking up trash and those sorts of
things. "

FOX-6
TV anchor Jeh Jeh Pruit is scheduled to host a morning show from the canoe
launch on August 6, according to Sznajderman, another reason to give the site a
clean-up.

Pruitt's
appearance will be part of the station's regular series called "Red Rock
Tuesdays" in which the host spotlights a different spot to walk, hike or bike in
the ever-developing Red Rock Ridge and Valley Trail System in Jefferson County.

Graysville
Mayor Mary Sue Morgan said today in an email to AL.com that she hopes for "a
large participation" from Graysville residents and said that their main goal
for the event July 27 is to pick up the trash that has accumulated in the park
area.

"The
area does flood occasionally when we have a lot of rain, and this washes in
various types of trash that can accumulate in the park areas that lie above the
normal water line," Morgan said. "We may also remove a limited amount of
invasive species, such as privet and mimosa trees, and of course we will want
to remove any poison oak or ivy that might pose a risk for park users."

Sznajderman -- while taking pains to point out that he is not a trained biologist or
conservationist -- said that he has enjoyed seeing the progress that has been
made in cleaning up Five Mile Creek, even over the last decade.

"The
transformation of Five Mile Creek has been amazing," according to Sznajderman,
who said that Five Mile Creek used to be dubbed "Creosote Creek" in the 1960s
because of the large amount of mining and industrial discharges that were
dumped into it.

"The
water quality in the creek has come way back," he said.

"It was
essentially a liquid brownfield," he said. "It's safe for recreation, and
people are rediscovering this creek, which is right in our backyard, as a great
asset for our community."

Thanks
to the work of the partnership members, the creek "is now clean and safe for
human recreation," according to Morgan. "It's so much fun to now be able to
visit the area and see all of the fish, birds and other wildlife in or near the
creek."

Sznajderman
said that it has been rewarding to see the communities along the greenway work
together for a bigger goal.

"It has
been gratifying to see these communities with limited resources coming together
and working together with other partners to create something around Five Mile
Creek that's way bigger than the sum of its parts" he said.

"The
value of clean-up efforts such as this goes far beyond what we do for one
individual area," Morgan said. "The real value lies in the forming of
partnerships that can tackle and complete larger projects that benefit the
larger community."

According
to Sznajderman, there is a canoe rental business in Brookside now, a sign of
the possible economic impacts of the greenway, as well.

Not
only that, but he and his daughter-- during a trip to Brookside last summer --
met some tourists from England and China who had come to canoe the creek.

"They
heard that canoeing is cool on Five Mile Creek, and they Googled it and found
the canoe company in Brookside," he said.

Morgan
said that there is an even larger goal to be achieved through the development
of the greenway.

"I
think when we engage in efforts like this, we have to look beyond economic
benefits," she said. "Economic benefits will naturally occur when we develop
more livable communities, and that is the bigger goal for projects like the
Greenway. The entire Greenway District
will provide recreation opportunities for hikers, runners, biker and fishermen,
just to name a few."

Registration
for the clean-up begins at 8 a.m. Work begins 9 a.m. The clean-up will take
place rain or shine.

Volunteers
should wear sturdy shoes and comfortable clothes. If possible, bring light
tools, such as rakes and shovels.

Volunteers
will receive free T-shirts and snacks while supplies last.

Children
are welcome.

To
reach the canoe launch from downtown Birmingham, take Highway 78 West to the
Interstate 22 interchange in Graysville. Stay on 78 for about a quarter mile
past the interchange and look for the event site on the left. Follow the signs
to designated parking areas.

For
more information about the event, call Sznajderman at 205-257-4155; John Hood,
APSO Magic City Chapter, at 205-257-1532; or Francesca Gross, Five Mile Creek
Greenway coordinator, at 205-226-7755.

The
Freshwater Land Trust, the Cawaco RC&D Council and the Regional Planning
Commission of Greater Birmingham are also part of the Five Mile Creek Greenway
Partnership.